Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 290: Chasing stars has become popular culture
Early morning of December 12th, China time.

Although it is Friday, a working day, there are still many students and office workers surfing the major music platforms.

Because Shen Juan’s first Chinese album is online.

As the most prestigious and famous young singer and artist in China and even in Asia, Shen Juan's every move will undoubtedly attract widespread attention from the outside world.

Any news topic related to him will get a lot of clicks, any celebrity artist related to him will get good exposure and attention, and any video related to him will get good playback data.

As his first Chinese album, "Weisha" has naturally become the biggest focus of the current Chinese music scene.

Zhu Ziyang is one of those being watched.

As a top marketing account with millions of fans on Weibo and who can call the shots in the fan circle, he naturally won't miss any opportunity to get traffic and popularity.

So as soon as Shen Juan's "Weisha" came out, he quickly paid thirty dollars to buy the album and started listening to it.

1. "Exchange of Life"

2. "Alien"

3. Passage

4. If You Can

5. A Mountain Road

6. The Weight of Growing Up

7. I'm Alive

8. The Best for You

9. The Child

10. Three Lives and Ten Thousand Things

Except for "Guo", which he co-sang with singer Wang Jiaer, the other nine singles were sung by Shen Juan solo, so there was nothing to hesitate about. He could just start listening to the first song, "Exchange the Rest of Our Lives". Anyway, he had already spent the money, so he had to listen to all ten songs, and it didn't matter whether he listened to them sooner or later.

Click on "Exchange the Rest of Your Life" and the music will start.

First, the prelude starts with a pad with a metallic texture, and the intensity increases from weak to strong. At the moment when the intensity is about to reach its strongest, the clean electric guitar plays a very short long glissando. At the end of the long glissando, the music happens to step on the strong beat, and the pad intensity also reaches its strongest at the same time. Synthesizers and strings enter together at this moment, and the emotions instantly rise and surge.

Then the broken chords disappear and weaken first, entering the first verse, and the clear and warm vocals sound immediately.

"The cat listening to the rain alone saw me in the cracks of time, another me outside of the thunder and lightning"

At this moment, Zhu Ziyang's drowsiness caused by waiting for the album to be released instantly dissipated, and was replaced by excitement and excitement when he heard good music that met his own aesthetic standards.

Just by hearing the first sentence, Zhu Ziyang could basically tell that this was most likely a good song.

This judgment is not only based on my own twenty years of experience in listening to songs, but also stems from my trust in the singer himself.

So he immediately opened Weibo, inserted the payment screenshot and Shen Juan's album cover, and began editing the text.

[Although "Weisha" cannot be called a groundbreaking cross-century masterpiece, it is definitely a masterpiece! The value of the phrase "You can always trust Shen Juan" is still rising! ]

"Exchange the Rest of Our Lives" is one of JJ Lin's highest quality and best-performing singles in the post-brotherhood era.

Many fans say that "Exchange the Rest of Our Lives" and "Wish and Sorrow" are JJ Lin's two best works in the past five years.

"Alien" is not only Xue Zhiqian's best-performing single in the post-friendship era, but also the second most popular single on streaming media after "Actor" among all Xue Zhiqian's works.

Then "Passing", "If I Can" and "A Journey on the Mountain Road" also achieved good streaming results in the original time and space.

"Weisha", which consists of five original time-space hit singles that ensure the popularity of the songs and five other non-main songs with their own characteristics, is definitely excellent in terms of configuration.

Therefore, this album went viral on major platforms and video sites due to the combined effect of Shen Juan's personal popularity, Le Hua's marketing promotion and fans' spontaneous publicity.

The comments and feedback from netizens were also quite lively.

Of course, in the early days when the word-of-mouth of the song had not yet spread and the number of fans was the only factor, the song with the best comment data was "Guo" by Shen Juan and Wang Jiaer.

After all, Shen Juan’s fans need to collect data for ten songs at the same time, so even if they have a lot of fans, there will be diversion. However, Wang Jiaer’s fans only need to concentrate their efforts on this one song.

When the gap is not big in the initial stage of launch, any external force will affect the balance.

[Is this the strength of Juan Ye? 100,000 comments in one minute? And it’s not just one song that has 100,000 comments. It’s so scary.]

[It really sounds like taking a puff of Dove smoke, so what kind of cigarettes does Wang Jiaer use to maintain his voice? 】

【Woo woo woo, it’s coming!! I’m taking off from the spot!! Shen Juan and Wang Jiaer, the collaboration between the two of you is finally born! I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time!!! It’s the Chinese song we agreed on, woo woo woo. I can continue to memorize it! And it’s a new style, Juan’s songs always bring me surprises! When I put on headphones to listen to the songs, my mind and body have been separated, and I don’t care about the people around me hhh Jiajuan is real! Long live friendship! 】

Then, the main songs that had MVs specially made to stimulate the growth of streaming media popularity also received very good data and critical responses after they were released. The MVs with a movie texture and the combination of good-looking male and female protagonists are simply a killer combination!

[“Exchange of the Rest of Our Lives” is invincible! The more I listen to it, the more addicted I get. My favorite Chinese song is also superb! But I’m curious why there are so many elementary school students confessing their love in the comments section? Is this song going to become a new generation of confession song? ]

[The only part that amazed me in the whole song of "Alien" was the chorus, but the chorus alone was enough to make me fall in love with this song, and the MV was so beautiful. The movie-like quality of Shen Juan and Dilireba's two beauties acting together in the same frame is a feast for the beauties! I have only imagined such a scene in my dreams. ]

[The song "A Journey on a Mountain Road" is really good with the mountains and rivers in the MV! Especially the line "The gurgling water finally passed through the mountains, as if you are still persistent after so many years." Although this song is plain, it has climaxes everywhere in my opinion. Shen Juan tells his musical journey. Although the future is uncertain, he is still deeply immersed in the beautiful scenery along the way, still persistent and determined, and also tells everyone about the bond between him and his fans over the years. ]

[The song "If I Can" is really strange, it sounds like a confession, a separation, and a reunion. In short, it's really nice to listen to! The MV is also really good! Although I don't shoot many dramas, I shoot a lot of MVs! For us fans, Brother Juan's MVs are our idol dramas! ]

Then, although the data of the non-hit singles were slightly worse, they still successfully attracted their respective aesthetic audiences and received fairly good reviews from passers-by.

[Is "The Weight of Growth" about Juan Ge's struggle to debut as an amateur? I've been going through these things recently, and the lyrics sound really emotional.]

[The song "I'm Alive" makes people feel very warm and comfortable, and makes people want to keep listening to it. It is said that Shen Juan wrote this song for people with depression and those with self-destructive tendencies. The lyrics are really inspiring.]

["The Best for You" and "Child" are love letters from Juan Ge to all the little spring rolls and Alovers! Although the arrangement is simple, this kind of simple and natural production can better highlight the superior voice of Shen Juan, and take us, the fans, slowly into his inner world to meet and fall in love with him. ]

[Does no one get the idea of Three Lives and Ten Thousand Things? Although the data is a bit average compared to other songs, this is the song that attracts me the most in the entire album. The atmosphere is so strong, and the cyber chanting in the chorus is like facing the vast energy of another world! The lyrics also quote the Heart Sutra and the Tao Te Ching at the same time. Perhaps it can be seen as Alex's intention to use music to integrate the two mystics of Buddhism and Taoism, just like the Golden Immortal looking down on the world, and the Juan Emperor ascending to the throne and becoming the Jade Emperor! ]

In addition, after quickly listening to ten songs and getting a general understanding of the production level of the entire album, the little spring rolls who were inspired also picked up the keyboards and began to type with full confidence to settle accounts with those black fans who had previously badmouthed Shen Juan.

[Didn’t that bunch of sour chickens and wild dogs say that I was tired of reading books and only read the title page? Didn’t that bunch of sword tombs mock me for pretending to be a domestic entertainment master by reading the "Tao Te Ching" at the airport? Are you still talking nonsense now? You can write a song just by reading the title page, right? ]

Even if the production quality of "Weisha" has declined compared to Zhang Yingzhuan, and even if "Weisha" cannot be compared to those great Chinese albums from ten years ago, it is still not something that these current popular singers can easily copy, OK? 】

[The album I made in a month is a record you can never reach in your lifetime. ]

[With achievements in hand, we can laugh at the mad dog. No matter how you criticize, you can't change the fact that Weixia is a big hit. No matter how you are sarcastic, you can't change the current situation that the Sunflower Movement is about to reach the top. In order to cater to the Chinese market, my Chinese album will inevitably make changes, so Chinese songs are just the smallest difference between your idol and my idol. I hope you can understand this and don't bark like a stupid dog. ]

Of course there are voices that are pessimistic. After all, no matter how much the fans praise it or how much the passers-by like it, the production level of this album has indeed declined compared to previous ones.

There are also many fans who are used to listening to European, American and Japanese pop melodies and cannot listen to Chinese melodies.

But Shen Juan had already anticipated this.

This in itself is a very normal thing.

After all, pop music is like this. If you want to gain more support and love from fans, if you want to cater to the sinking market and gain more music fans, if you want to move to a broader stage, if you want to succeed in business, you must be rooted in reality and give up some more personal things.

Didn’t you see that Taylor gave up country music and turned to pop music in order to become a singer with higher commercial value?
The most important thing for a pop singer is not to be stubborn.

There is no good juice to be had if you confront the audience.

Since the public likes guava, he makes guava.

There is no need to rush into reforming the Chinese entertainment industry.

We must not be pretentious and try to change the audience's aesthetic taste.

Because he is not qualified.

Or perhaps all singers are unqualified.

At the same time, whenever Shen Juan releases a new song, the famous cheerleaders in the domestic entertainment industry who always come out to help promote it also posted on Weibo to cheer for Shen Juan's new album.

Try harder and harder: [Although I have repeated this many times before, after listening to the ten songs of "Weisha", I still want to say: Shen Juan is really amazing! The versatility and diversity he showed in this album are really worthy of reflection and learning for us original musicians. Why can he create so many excellent songs? Why can he not be bound by the current framework when creating? He can write in English, Japanese and Chinese? ]

Wang Jiaer: [Thanks @沈涓 for bringing me out to play, please support my collaboration with Juan and the single "Guo"! Please also pay attention to Wang Jiaer's first solo birthday concert to be held in March next year! Thank you very much! ]

Lu Han: [Well, it’s already 2am, I’m going to come out and announce something to everyone. I’m awesome!!!]

Cai Xukun: [I listened to @沈涓's "Wei Xia" as soon as I heard it. It's really amazing. If I hadn't seen that Juan's name was on the lyrics, composition and arrangement, I really wouldn't have thought that this was the singer who created "Underrated". His style is so varied! And recently I'm also preparing my new personal single with Lin Youjia, so please stay tuned. ]

Li Ronghao: [@沈涓 said this sentence to me when we were recording "Idol Producer" at the beginning of the year, which left a deep impression on me: "Deep roots, like waves." He told me to be deeply rooted in the earth like roots, and to be like waves, and to be open and adaptable to the outside world while adhering to my inner beliefs. Maybe this is why he can create so many excellent songs in different languages and styles.]

Da Zhangwei: [I turned into tap water to promote our teacher Shen Juan’s new album! Then my uncle Juan suddenly sent me a WeChat message on Christmas Day asking me not to go to the United States, saying that my life might be in danger if I went there. I didn’t quite understand what he was saying. Do you know what he meant?]

Han Hong: [This is really awesome! I love Juan Ye’s cool and gentle voice. Juan Ye is my god! (Awesome)]

In addition, the actresses who filmed the MV with Shen Juan are also helping to promote Shen Juan's Chinese album, and taking this opportunity to legitimately take advantage of the fresh traffic.

Dilraba Dilmurat: [Although the song is indeed very nice, don’t forget to watch the MV of Alien Objects that I participated in filming~#沈涓维夏##沈涓天外来物#]

Zhang Tianai: [Before filming the MV, I thought Shen Juan was a handsome guy. After filming the MV, I thought Shen Juan was a male god. Now I understand why so many girls like Shen Juan. He is really a very charming and attractive man.]

This sister has neither any film or television works online recently nor any variety shows broadcasted. She happens to be single, and after Shen Juan checked her academic qualifications, she fell in love with Shen Juan physiologically. So she probably also wants to come to the table and become a "Juan Girl", joining the ranking battle of "Sister-in-law 101" to increase traffic and maintain exposure.

The heroine of the MV "If Possible" Li Yitong did not say much. She just posted a screenshot of the payment and a photo of her and Shen Juan on the set. She showed a strong sense of boundaries and did not seem to want to join the dispute of "Sister-in-law 101".

But she chatted with Shen Juan a lot on WeChat.

In addition, many music bloggers and music critics who make a living from this have given fairly fair and objective positive reviews after listening to the entire album.

If the full score is 80, "Underrated" is 85, so they are willing to give "Visha" - points.

Although it cannot be said to be extremely awesome, it is indeed excellent, especially in terms of business.

Just like what Shen Juan did among Japanese youth groups before releasing his Japanese EP, Shen Juan's "Weisha" has also become one of the important social topics among young people in China today. Many middle school and college students regard buying Shen Juan's album as a necessary option for interpersonal communication during this period.

For a while, WeChat Moments were full of screenshots of orders. In this general trend, discussions about song quality and production level are no longer that important.

After all, the most important thing about pop music is popularity.

And the vast majority of human beings have a herd mentality.

So when listening to Shen Juan's songs became the current social habit and popular culture, this wave of star-chasing that had already been set off and was intensifying could no longer be resisted.

Let’s turn our attention back to America, on the other side of the ocean.

Not long after Shen Juan knocked out A-mei, who was wearing a high ponytail and a lolita body, in an extremely rough manner, he was woken up by the alarm on his mobile phone. Then, with sleepy eyes, he followed his team to the airport and boarded a flight to New York to meet Taylor Swift, the "new queen" who was officially announced to have signed with Republic Records last month.

This is certainly not an aimless interview.

Nor is it a meeting between new and old employees of the company.

Instead, Taylor wanted to form a powerful alliance with Shen Juan, a talented singer-songwriter who has been in the limelight recently and has a wide range of musical styles, which would be welcomed by both fans and listeners.

Just like Ariana.

Taylor also wanted to establish a good friendship with Shen Juan and find the second Boss Huang in her life.

The meeting place was set in Taylor's private studio.

Because I was woken up by the alarm at six o'clock to catch the flight, I had no time to pay attention to the album performance and was almost catching up on sleep the whole time.

When Shen Juan got to the destination, he found that Taylor had been waiting there for a long time and was very enthusiastic. He gave him a big hug as soon as he came up to him. It was obvious that he attached great importance to this meeting and the possible subsequent cooperation.

“Hi! Alex, nice to see you again in New York, now we are colleagues in the same company!”

"So in this situation, should we sing a short piece of "Welcome to New York" to welcome me, a guest from afar?" Shen Juan joked, then quickly took a look at Taylor's outfit today.

Black coat with red sweater.

It’s a very ordinary everyday outfit. It seems that Taylor Swift’s style in dressing is quite pragmatic.

Want warmth, not grace.

Afraid of catching a cold, but not afraid of catching a cold.

Although her dressing style is worth learning for ordinary people, she seems to lack a sense of fashion among celebrities.

"Of course you can, but is coming from Miami to New York considered a long way?" Taylor likes Shen Juan's personality very much, because it is very relaxing to communicate with such a person, and he can respond to every topic he starts.

"So does flying from China to the United States count?" Shen Juan followed Taylor into the heated studio, then took off his warm coat and handed it to his assistant.

"Okay, you convinced me." Taylor knew that this would effectively bring them closer together, so he responded, "But I don't remember the prelude, how about you start it?"

"Everybody here wanted something more. Searching for a sound we hadn't heard before." Shen Juan sang two lines based on his feeling.

Taylor immediately followed up with the chorus: "And it said Welcome to New York!"

After singing, they smiled at each other.

Obviously, they all felt that the duet just now was a bit silly.

It's quite interesting though.

After all, Taylor herself is a mildly "naive" person who has a mature appearance but still has a childlike heart and is even a little silly.

This can be seen from the song "ME!" she is currently composing. This is also a collaborative single that Taylor invited Shen Juan to produce and sing with her through Republic Records.

"Taylor, are you really going to include this line? I mean, will the line "hey kids spelling is fun" make your fans think it's a nursery rhyme?" After Shen Juan put on headphones and listened to the title song of Taylor's new album which is expected to be released next year, he started a discussion with her.

Taylor smiled and shook his head, "Children's song? I don't think so. And don't you think this song is funny?"

“It is indeed interesting, but if it is too interesting, it might conflict with the style and image created in your previous album, Reputation. Your fans may not be able to accept it.” Shen Juan directly opened his third eye and told the situation that this song would encounter after its release.

"Alex, what you said is true, and I understand it, but things have to change. My idea is to bid farewell to the "Reputation" era through this album. After all, you also know the circumstances under which I created that album. Now that I have successfully regained my reputation, then the next step is to do something more meaningful, isn't it?"

"So, you want to write a song that bids farewell to the dark past, and then welcomes a new life with a brand new mental outlook and attitude towards life?" Shen Juan almost understood the core of Taylor's creation this time, which was nothing more than creating an album with a style that was completely opposite to "Reputation".

I really have to admire her bravery, because she doesn't have a memory hack like Shen Juan that can ensure everything is foolproof.

The more famous a singer is, the less likely he or she is to step out of his or her comfort zone.

It's failed, there is no excuse.

"Yes!" Taylor calmly spoke of the past when he was mocked and cyberbullied by the whole country: "To be honest, the past two years have definitely been the lowest point in my career. I was almost always wasting my energy, and then I created Reputation to vent my emotions and announce my comeback. Although everyone says this is another milestone album in my music career, I can't stand denying myself every day."

"So that's why you wanted to create a happier album that could bring people joy and self-affirmation?"

"Yes!" Taylor nodded with a smile.

"It's really hard to imagine what you went through during that time."

"Believe me, you don't want to experience that."

"Taylor, what I want to tell you is that I fully understand and support all the decisions you make!"

Even if we put aside the relationship as colleagues in the company, Shen Juan would definitely stand on Taylor's side in this incident. After all, this was a trick played by Kanye and the Kardashians.

Shen Juan has nothing but respect for Kanye's music, but as for his handling of this matter, Shen Juan feels that as long as one's values are correct, it is impossible for him to support Kanye.

"Thank you Alex, I wish I had met you earlier."

"I also wish I could have met you earlier." Shen Juan smiled and shrugged, "Of course the prerequisite is that I had to be born a few years earlier."

"Hahahaha! By the way, what time is your flight tonight? I don't want you to miss your flight because of me."

"Ten o'clock."

"Ten o'clock? We don't have much time, so let's get down to business!" Taylor quickly took out the draft of the lyrics for "ME!"

Shen Juan took it and took a rough look at it. It was different from the original lyrics he remembered and could only be considered a semi-finished product.

So he told Taylor his suggestions for deletions and revisions to the lyrics and his general ideas, and it was up to Taylor whether to use them or not.

As Shen Juan gave his well-reasoned analysis, Taylor's eyes became brighter and brighter. She had indeed thought that Shen Juan was a creative genius like Ed Sheeran.

"Underrated" is a testament to Shen Juan's talent.

But she really didn't expect that he could give her suggestions and ideas so quickly, and they were basically all effective suggestions that perfectly hit the point she wanted.

Therefore, the lyrics of "ME!" became more and more perfect with Shen Juan's explanation and Taylor's screams.

After one hour.
After the lyrics were completed, Taylor asked Shen Juan to revise the music.

"Wait, Taylor, I need some coffee."

"No problem! I'll do it for you myself!"

"Taylor, why do you still have Christmas decorations here when it's been so long since Christmas?"

"Is it only a few days? And if I want, I can even keep the Christmas lights on until January. This is my territory, and I have the final say!"

"Taylor, are New York winters always this cold?"

"It's normal that you feel uncomfortable since you just came from Miami."

“Taylor.”

"Alex, are you not too keen on helping me change the song?"

"No, I'm just a little sleepy because I slept very late last night." If you want to blame someone, just blame Ari for being so stubborn and persisting for so long.

"It's okay, Taylor will be making coffee soon!"

"Come on" Shen Juan spread his hands to express helplessness.

Another hour later.
Taylor, who was already impressed by Shen Juan's creative talent, couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart: "Alex, you are such a great musical genius! You have endless inspiration! It feels so wonderful to work with you! I really hope that we can have the opportunity to work together like this again in the future. I can't wait to work with you for the second time!"

Shen Juan leaned back in his chair and stretched.

"Cooperation? I do have such an idea."

"really?"

Taylor's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Of course, but I also said that this is just an idea." Shen Juan was not in a hurry about this matter, because his main focus at this stage was still on the second English album scheduled to be released in the first half of next year. The second collaboration with Taylor was mainly to ensure exposure in the second half of the year.

He took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee and said, "By the way, Taylor, when is your album going to be released?"

“Maybe next summer or the second half of next year.”

"Then after my album is released, I'll have plenty of time to prepare for our collaboration."

Seeing Shen Juan's verbal promise, Taylor's smile grew brighter. "So do you have a name? Or if you don't have a name for now, what kind of song do you want to write? What's the theme? I can also think about it in advance. After all, I can't write songs as fast as you."

“I think there is a name.”

"What?" Taylor waited curiously for what would happen next.

Shen Juan put down the coffee and smiled softly.

"How about calling Lover?"

　Thank you all for your recommendation tickets and monthly ticket subscription support!
　　Thanks to book friend 2021030175264251562 for rewarding his work!
　　Thanks to Zhou Ye who likes the little baby Zhuqing for the character reward!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)